A message from Girl Scouts of the USA’s Interim CEO, Sylvia Acevedo

Hello, Girl Scouts!

As you may have heard, I was recently appointed interim CEO of Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA), and I am thrilled to help during this time of transition. I am succeeding Anna Maria Chávez, who is departing GSUSA to pursue a return to public service. I hope you will join me in thanking Anna for her eight years of service to Girl Scouts, at both the local and national levels.

To provide some background, before becoming interim CEO, in appreciation for all that our Movement has done for my family and me, I served for many years as a volunteer, most recently as Secretary of GSUSA’s Board of Directors. I credit Girl Scouts with giving me the experiences that helped me develop the confidence and skills to discover and pursue my love of the outdoors and science, leading me to become a rocket scientist and one of the first female engineers in Silicon Valley.

Of course, it’s thanks to the many leaders before me and the many of you today who give so much of yourselves as troop leaders, cookie coordinators, and supportive volunteers, caregivers, and alumnae that we have proudly served girls for more than 100 years. In the spirit of the bridging ceremonies that have been taking place across our Movement, I too see my time as interim CEO as a bridge to our future. I am proud to be one in a long chain of leaders who have dedicated themselves to the vision of our founder, Juliette Gordon Low, including, most recently, Anna.

Speaking of our history, the picture above was taken at our recent celebration on Capitol Hill of the centennial of the Girl Scout Gold Award. (I’m the one in the red glasses helping Anna, who’s on my right, and our National Board president, Kathy Hannan, cut the cake.) I was so inspired to meet the many women and girls who have earned our highest award over the decades. They are excellent examples of the awesome impact of Girl Scouts—-empowering girls to give back to their communities to make our world a better place. This impact is just one of the numerous and amazing reasons I “bleed green.”